263 students of School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) of Devi Ahilya University – Indore have been suspended by the administration for a week for skipping a Surya Namaskar event.
Confirming the suspension order to The Quint, the head of the Journalism Department Sonali Nargunde said, "The students had been asked to participate in Surya Namaskar programme organised by the department, but they skipped the event, forcing us to take action against them. All 263 students of the department have been suspended for indiscipline for a week."
The Surya Namaskar Programmes were performed at educational institutes and other government offices on 12 January to mark the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand, the same day the suspension was enforced.
The Department of Higher Education (DHE) had directed the educational institutes to organise Surya Namaskar and ensure students were present in the event.
Here’s What Happened
Referring to the directive of DHE, the journalism department head had asked students to turn up at 8 am on Saturday to participate in the event.
"Not a single student had turned up for the event. Nearly, a dozen students reported after the scheduled time," Nargunde said.
She said, she could not tolerate such indiscipline in the department and hence suspended all the students till 19 January.
Why The Compulsion, Students Ask
The students are tight-lipped over the issue. However, requesting anonymity, a student said, "Is it a compulsory to participate in every event of the university? In many events, students skip events but never suspended, then why in Surya Namaskar is so important?" the student asked.
When contacted, the vice-chancellor of the university, Dr Narendra Dhakad said that he is clueless about the suspension of the students.
However, he defended the action taken by the HOD, saying the event had been launched by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
"If the students do not participate in national programme like Surya Namaskar then they should face action like suspension." Dhakad said.
The Higher Education Minister Jitu Patwari was not available despite several attempts.
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